This is one of my favorite books of all time. Perhaps it's because I read it while traveling through Australia but after reading it, I couldn't help but read through most of Bill Bryson's other books. He is witty and often describes things to a T - you feel like you are right there with him.

I'm likely going to start a bookray or bookring with this one with a possible twist... Still contemplating...

The Barnes & Noble Review The perpetually hilarious Bill Bryson travels to Australia in his latest adventure, where he should feel right at home among the eccentric locals. Crocodiles, insects, giant worms, and venomous jellyfish are just the beginning of Bryson's problems as he navigates the beaches and deserts of this immense, sunbaked country. Arriving just in time for the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, In a Sunburned Country is comic travel writing at its best. Bryson reveals Australia's surprising geographical and biological diversity as he braves the baking outback, hikes through the ancient rainforests, and swims along the Great Barrier Reef, always highlighting the most unusual and unforgettable people and places. "Give them a bale of chicken wire, some fiberglass and a couple of pots of paint and they will make you, say, an enormous pineapple or strawberry or, as here, a lobster," Bryson writes. Bryson does indeed visit the 56-foot monstrosity known as the Big Lobster, one of 60 such attractions found all over Australia, "like leftover props from a 1950s horror movie." Bryson's approach to Australian history comes across as wonderfully off-kilter as well. Bryson delights in the tale of Harold Holt, the late prime minister, who vanished while swimming at Cheviot Beach and was never heard from again. There is a memorial to Holt in Melbourne -- believe it or not, it's a swimming pool. Upon hearing this delicious irony, Bryson simply states: "This is a terrific country."

But Bryson is more than a literary comedian. He is a travel writer, and a great one at that. He juxtaposes those moments of intense silliness with beautiful, insightful passages: "On every side the desert lapped at the town like floodwater." One of Bryson's most profoundly spiritual moments on the trip -- for no traveler, not even the irrepressible Bryson, is immune to such moments -- is when he stands in front of Uluru, also known as Ayer's Rock. Uluru is a massive red rock, at least a hundred million years old, that stands alone on an empty plain. As he approaches it, Bryson comments "somehow you feel certain that this large, brooding, hypnotic presence has an importance to you at the species level." Bryson explores Austrlia's incredible biological diversity, visiting a wide range of ecosystems and reporting on the unique creatures he finds. He also examines Australia's eccentric history, from its early days, when botched expeditions into the outback resulted in tragic loss of life and limb, to disastrous attempts at altering the native flora and fauna. As Bryson roams Australia's spatial and cultural planes, he leaves the reader with a strong desire to follow in his footsteps. After all, who wouldn't want to see the Big Lobster face to face?

Please keep the book for no more than 3 weeks and then send it along! I've tried to accommodate everyone's sending preferences but let me know if any problems arise. Once you've received the book and after you've read it, make a note in the journal so we can see what you thought and how the book has traveled! (Journal link: http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/4115603)

Also, don't forget to send postcards to everyone on the list - the list of addresses will be included in the book.

More interest suddenly came up so here is the updated booklist! No more changes will be made to this list... If you are someone that isn't in this bookring but has interest in the postcard ring/bookring, PM me and let me know! I'll probably start another one in the near future so I can include you on that one.

With the book, I'll send the list of addresses of all the members to send postcards to - if you haven't yet, please PM me your address!

I can't wait to hear what you think of the book and to see your postcards!

Arrived in the post today. I have one other book ring ahead of this, but this is next in line after that. Looking forward to reading Bryson's take on Australia, particularly as I lived there for 3 years from 2001 to 2004 :o) Thanks for sharing.

Took a little longer than expected to finish - life kept getting in the way :o) I haven't read a book that has made me laugh out loud in a long time. I really enjoyed this and I learnt a few new things about Australia along the way. Posted today to Frangipani04.

When this book first came to my hands I thought "How am I going to go through 300 pages on Australia, a country I know very little about and do not plan to visit during the next few years???". I joined the ring for two main reasons: I wanted to read more by Bill Bryson after reading (and loving) A Short Story of Nearly Everything and I liked the postcard swaping idea. Then I thought that I would read the first part of the book and then pass it on to the next reader. Well, I failed in my purposes. I read the book until the last page and loved it. I learned a lot (and maybe I'll visit Australia sooner than I thought I would) and, most notably, I laughed a lot!!! Bill Bryson has an incredible sense of humour! I'm very much looking forward to read more by this author!

Thank you for sharing it, bluehawaii! The book will go to farawayvoices this week!